RoLo

Sandhill Cranes are probably the largest birds in the Florida sky. They're striking & bold, and this one allowed me to approach unusually close. It feels odd standing next to a wild bird more than half your height

I can relate to your concern. When I hook a fish in the eye, it hurts me as much as it hurts the fish. A PB doesn't happen that often, you've done the best you could, now let mother nature take her course. Fishing is a blood sport, after all. Welcome to the forum. Roger

The so-called 'spawning season' is usually longer than most anglers realize. In fact, most (if not all) the bass we catch during the spawning season are bass in pre-spawn or post-spawn mode. Roger

I doubt that SARS-2 was a 'good' experience for anyone, but it wasn't much of a hardship on Florida anglers. My wife & I were fishing until mid-March, and the ramps in mid-Florida were closed by the end of the month. The ramps that we use were re-opened May 1st, so they were only closed about 1 month. Roger

The following refers to a "good fish", not trophy-class or record-class. In our experience, the weight of a GOOD largemouth bass is 3 lbs, a threshold I've found to be remarkably cosmopolitan. Among other reasons, 30,000 Islands, Georgian Bay, Ontario is noted on my cover page, because 3-pound largemouth are almost as common there as they are in Florida (A conspicuous weight plateau). As for smallmouth bass, I'd call 2-lbs a 'GOOD' fish (an adult). Roger

Roadwarrior first recommended the use of Senkos about 15 years ago. Some things never change, and apparently Senko is one of those things. Time-honored Roland Martin told Gary Yamamoto that his Senko was an ugly, do-nothing lure. Today (decades later), Roland Martin's favorite lure is the Senko, which Roland incurably refers to as a SINKO Roger

Crazy, that's the same distance I can throw a football.

I would not expect bladed jigs to supplant over-spinners. but like any other lure, they have their place. Frankly (hope no one is reading this), I'd much rather toss a soft swimbait than either one of those. Roger

BACKYARD TURKEYS Walden Shores, Lake Wales, Florida (Note trailer coupler in southwest corner)

How Far Can You Cast a Senko? Waaay Past My Target An ”Unweighted” 5-in Senko weighs 3/8 oz. That can be cast a country mile (Country Mile = Statute Mile X 1.2853) Roger

RODS: Megabass - Shimano - Kistler REELS: Shimano

When I lived in Jersey (close to your latitude), I spent a lot of time targeting pickerel. I was motivated by the fact that New Jersey set 2 former world records: Green Pond: 9-0 and Lower Aetna Lake: 9-3 Pickerel are never far from vegetation, as you well know, so I mostly used weedless lures. One of my favorite lures was a 1/2 oz Johnson spoon (2½”) with a Mister Twister Grub (pearl) If you're out for blood (PB or numbers), I know of nothing better than a jig & dead minnow (any minnow). Drag it slowly along the bottom with intermittent twitches. My favorite month was May, followed by November. but many of the largest pickerel are taken thru the ice. Roger

CENTRAL FLORIDA

The last time I got a 'bird's nest', my lure landed in a shoreline thicket. Fortunately, the eggs had already hatched.

CONFESSION: I've never caught 1 bass on a Senko! Okay, okay...the Senko part is a lie

You need to explain to them, that 20-lb bass aren't common in this lake Roger

Good point, because THC always works ?

For starters, 'fluorocarbon' is in fact 'monofilament', so we're comparing Nylon vs Fluoro (both monos). Been around Robin's barn a couple times, and I'd go with Nylon every time (aka copolymer). There are many variables to consider, not the least of which is knot strength & knot dependability. Roger

I use Optima Bluetop without issue. Roger

You're starting at the wrong end. Begin with the bait, 'then' select an appropriate hook

Good seeing someone whose familiar with Loran, we're not a large crowd ? Mine was an archaic Texas Instruments Loran with single readout. That is to say, the readout alternated between Lat & Lon, but never displayed both at once. Adding salt to the wound, my Loran unit broke-down about a week before a Mako tournament out of Manasquan Inlet. Didn't want to miss that tourney, so I picked up an RDF unit. Back on Topic With my Loran in the shop, I bounced RDF off the Asbury Park radio tower. My wife & I motored 42 miles offshore, where there wasn't another boat in sight and no horizon for hours. How would I have felt if 'one' other boat approached our boat? A little sick inside. Roger.

You'd be hard pressed to best Sufix 832 Faded braid will not frighten bass...I promise Roger

Ripping heavy jigs thru heavy cover? What is the leader for??

Your post takes me back to my saltwater years. Back then, we used Loran-C, which was the predecessor to GPS. If you had fish flying over the rail, there was a good chance you were being watched thru binoculars. You see a cabin cruiser off your port bow, he's moving courteously slow and at a respectable distance. The captain delivers a friendly wave with one hand, as he punches 'save' on the Loran with his other hand. Roger

Those are Butt Caps for pumping in the 'Big One' One would think that Roland's built-in abdominal cushion would suffice. Roger